We drove a $39,000 Toyota RAV4 that outsells rivals from Honda, Nissan, and Subaru. Here are its coolest features.

• The Toyota RAV4 is all-new for 2019 with new styling, fresh interior, and an impressive suite of standard safety tech. 
• The RAV4 is the best-selling compact crossover SUV in the US, ahead of rivals like the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue, the Chevrolet Equinox, the Ford Escape, the Subaru Forester, and the Mazda CX-5.
• Business Insider recently had a chance to spend a week with a 2019 Toyota RAV4 prototype in Limited trim.
• The base 2019 Toyota RAV4 LE with front-wheel drive starts at $25,500, while the top-spec Limited trim starts at $33,500. With options and fees, our 2019 Toyota RAV4 Limited carried an as-tested price of $38,565.

The Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling SUV in America. More than 427,000 RAV4s rolled out of US showrooms in 2018, behind only the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, and RAM 1500 pickup trucks. 

The original RAV4 made its US debut back in 1996 and over next two decades became a dominant force in the compact crossover SUV segment that now accounts for roughly one out of every five vehicles sold in America. 

In the marketplace, the RAV4 is a direct rival to the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue, the Subaru Forester, the Mazda CX-5, the Chevrolet Equinox, and the Ford Escape.

For 2019, Toyota has introduced a new fifth-generation version of the RAV4. 

Business Insider recently had a chance to spend a week with a 2019 Toyota RAV4 prototype in Limited trim.

"The new Toyota RAV4 delivers a capable, high-tech, and easy-to-live-with compact crossover in a handsomely styled package," we said in our review.

Read more: We drove a $39,000 Toyota RAV4 to see if the best-selling SUV in America is worth the money. Here's the verdict.

However, we also expressed our displeasure with the Toyota's harsh drivetrain.

"The 2.5-liter engine is one of the most coarse-sounding four-cylinder engines I've encountered in a long time," we said. "Under hard acceleration, the engine buzzes and strains like a poorly executed 20-year-old tuner Honda Civic."

The base 2019 Toyota RAV4 LE starts at $25,500, while the mid-grade XLE, XLE Premium, and Adventure models start at $27,300, $29,500, and $32,900. The top-grade Limited trim starts at $33,500.

Hybrid variants of the RAV4 start at $27,700 for the LE and run all the way up to the Limited trim, starting at $35,700.

All-wheel drive is available as a $1,400 option on all trims except the Adventure and Hybrid variants, in which it comes standard.

With options and fees, our 2019 Toyota RAV4 Limited carried an as-tested price of $38,565.

Here's a closer look at its coolest features: 

SEE ALSO: We drove a $34,000 Hyundai Tucson that will take on Honda, Toyota, and Subaru. Here are its coolest features.

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1. Fresh styling: The RAV4's new sheet metal is handsome and modern, delivering suburban civility with a subtle evocation of 4Runner/Land Cruiser ruggedness.

2. New platform: The new RAV4 is built on Toyota's new TNGA-K global midsize platform shared with the Camry sedan. According to Toyota, the new platform is lighter and is designed to deliver a more confident driving experience. Previous RAV4s were built on compact platforms shared with the Corolla and the Prius.

3. Interior quality: RAV4's interior is also new and consider us impressed. Material quality was outstanding, and everything felt well put together.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Contributer : Tech Insider http://bit.ly/2I5Ef04

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